Waive risk-based inspections, urges MSME pharma body
Laghu Udyog Bharati requests the government to waive risk-based inspections for companies upgrading their facilities. The association seeks an extension for Schedule M implementation for smaller firms. Concerns arise over inspections being conducted like raids. LUB highlights the role of MSMEs in supplying medicines during Covid. They request special attention for manufacturers with less than Rupees 50 crore turnover.
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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Environment Ministry exempts 78% of coal plants from installing key anti-polluting systems
The Environment Ministry has exempted the majority of India's thermal power plants from installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems, which are designed to cut sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) emissions. Flue gas, a residue from thermal power plants, emits SO 2 , which can mix in the atmosphere and create secondary particulate matter. These are linked to air pollution. There are about 180 thermal power plants in India. A single plant can have multiple units. Now on, only about 11% of India's 600 thermal power plant (TPP) units have to mandatorily install FGD systems. These plants, called 'Category A', are the ones located within 10 km radius of the National Capital Region or are cities with a population of at least a million (2011 Census). Originally, these plants were to have put in place FGD systems by 2017 but have been given multiple extensions to comply. The latest – as per a gazette notification this week – is December 30, 2027. Another 11% of TPPs, called Category B – located within 10 km radius of critically polluted areas (CPA) or non-attainment cities (NAC) – may or may not have to install FGD. This would depend upon a decision by a committee of experts (Expert Appraisal Committee) – an existing body constituted by the Environment Ministry that grants environment clearances to proposed coal plant projects. Category B plants that comply with the EAC norms have a deadline of December 30, 2028, to install the FGD. CPA are regions or industrial clusters that are extremely polluted and deemed so according to a specified criteria by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). NAC – there are 131 of them – are those that have the worst air quality and haven't met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for at least five years. The remaining 78% of thermal power plants , or 'Category C', and are now exempt from installing FGD. The updated rules regarding the installation of FGD are exactly in line with the recommendations of an expert committee constituted by Principal Science Adviser Ajay Sood this April. The Hindu had reported on this. Several hurdles Last month, Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the Central Pollution Control Board was examining this committee's recommendations and would be taking a call on the future of FGD. Only about 8% of India's TPPs have installed FGD units. The limited number of vendors capable of installing such equipment in India, the high installation costs, the potential rise in electricity bills, and disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been some of the reasons historically cited by the Power Ministry, the overseer of India's TPPs, for the plants' inability to adhere to previous deadlines. In theory, the costs of non-compliance could run to crores of rupees in fines, though these have not materialised thanks to deadline extensions. The guiding principles behind the committee's recommendations were: SO 2 levels in ambient air across the country are around 10-20 micrograms/cubic metre, well below India's air quality norms of 80; Indian coal is low in sulphur; SO 2 levels in cities near plants with operational FGD units do not differ significantly from those without these units, and all of these were anyway well below permissible levels. The committee had said that the concerns about sulphates – a potential by-product when SO 2 emissions reach certain atmospheric levels, thus forming particulate matter (PM) – are unfounded. They cited an analysis of 5,792 PM samples across the country, which found 'low elemental sulphur' content (max 8 micrograms/m3 after outlier removal), which was deemed 'insignificant — for considering PM removal as a benefit of FGD'. 'The CPCB and MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) should have carried out a more diligent benefit cost assessment of the retrofit for SOX control. With nearly 15% of India's ambient PM2.5 attributable to the combustion of coal, this latest notification is a short-sighted one that is not founded in the science of how and where PM2.5 forms, especially from large stacks,' Kartik Ganesan, an expert on energy and environment, at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a think tank, told The Hindu. Manoj Kumar, who has researched the FGD's impact at the Centre for Research and Energy on Clean Air, criticised the decision. 'Power plants are known to impact areas 200 kilometres away from their location. Thus, they are a source of transboundary pollution, regardless of the category they fall into. Additionally, using tall chimneys is not an effective pollution-control measure; it merely disperses sulfur dioxide higher into the atmosphere, where it eventually forms toxic fine particles. This decision will affect millions of lives in India by increasing the risk of lung and heart diseases,' he told The Hindu.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Delhi To Waive Late Fee On Water Bills As Dues Cross Rs 1.42 Lakh Crore
New Delhi: In a major relief measure for Delhi residents, the government is preparing to waive 100 per cent of the late payment surcharge on pending domestic water bills. The move comes as outrage grows over rising billing complaints and unpaid dues that have now crossed a staggering Rs 1.42 lakh crore, according to official figures. Delhi's Water Minister Parvesh Verma confirmed that the waiver scheme is in the works and expected to roll out in the next two months. "We're working on upgrading the billing software," Mr Verma said. "Once the system is ready, the surcharge waiver will be launched." The minister clarified that the upcoming relief will apply only to residential consumers, whose total pending dues stand at Rs 15,000 crore. The bigger chunk of the dues - Rs 66,000 crore from commercial users and Rs 61,000 crore from government departments - will not be covered under the waiver, at least for now. The government hopes the waiver will encourage more residents to clear their dues. "Many people stopped paying because they didn't trust the bills," a senior official said. "With this step, we want to give them a reason to return and settle their accounts." Across the city, many residents have long accused the DJB of inflated and arbitrary billing, often claiming that they continued to receive large bills even when their homes were vacant during COVID lockdown. "During the pandemic, our house was locked for months, and yet the bills kept coming. Now the late fees have pushed the amount into lakhs," said Pawan Kumar, a resident of East Delhi. "We've filed complaints, but no one from DJB ever followed up. At least this waiver is a start." Mr Verma, however, clarified that complaints related to inaccurate meter readings are not covered under the waiver. "This waiver does not cover false meter readings. That's a separate issue. But to fix that too, we're introducing smart meters across the city, which will help eliminate manual errors," he said. Currently, the DJB has around 1,000 meter readers responsible for around 26.5 lakh connections across 41 zones in Delhi. The previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government too had promised a one-time settlement scheme to resolve billing disputes, but the plan was never implemented. The current administration aims to make good on that promise - albeit with a narrower focus on waiving surcharges for domestic consumers only, as of yet. With unpaid dues now crossing Rs 1.42 lakh crore, the real challenge now lies in finding a balance between recovering lost revenue and fixing a system that many residents no longer trust.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Climate ‘green swan' events: Financial sector braces for shocks
India's financial system faces a growing threat from green swan events—climate-driven crises marked by unpredictable, cascading impacts that could destabilise markets and worsen inequality. Unlike rare black swan events, green swans are inevitable due to the climate crisis, combining physical risks (floods, droughts) and transition risks (policy shifts, tech disruptions). With over $70 billion in climate-related losses since 2019 and 2,000+ fatalities, India ranks among the most vulnerable nations globally. Green Earth (Shutterstock) Green swans represent systemic climate threats that defy conventional risk modelling. Traditional risk assessment models that extrapolate from historical trends are insufficient for fully appreciating the systemic risks posed by the climate crisis. They involve non-linear, irreversible environmental shifts—like melting glaciers, draughts, or collapsing ecosystems—that trigger financial chaos. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) warns these events could recur with rising intensity, overwhelming traditional insurance and hedging tools. For India, where 45% of the workforce relies on climate-sensitive agriculture, the stakes are existential. The interconnected nature of these risks means that localized climate disasters can cascade through the entire financial system, affecting institutions and markets far beyond the initially impacted areas. Also, unlike health shocks, climate disks are here to stay. While health crises like Covid-19 caused acute, time-bound disruptions, green swans pose perpetual threats with irreversible tipping points. For example, coastal flooding could permanently displace millions, unlike pandemic recovery cycles. Traditional risk assessment models that extrapolate from historical trends are insufficient for fully appreciating the systemic risks posed by the climate crisis. The RBI is rolling out phased guidelines to address climate risks, including green deposit frameworks, climate disclosure rules, and stress-testing protocols. Specifically, in the context of financial inclusion, banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs) face dual pressures where cyclones and floods destroy collateral (homes, livestock), spike loan defaults, and disrupt operations and policy transition risks where sudden policy changes (e.g., coal phaseouts) could strand assets in carbon-intensive sectors. Microfinance, a $70 billion industry serving 60 million low-income borrowers, is especially exposed. Climate disasters threaten 30-40% of MFI portfolios tied to agriculture and livestock. Women, who form 95% of microfinance clients, face heightened risks of income loss and displacement. Having made some strides in financial inclusion, green swans could reverse those gains. MFIs report repayment rates dropping to 60% post-disasters. Given that these events could reshape finance, particularly for marginalised communities, it would be useful to seek lessons from Bangladesh's experience with similar climate-related challenges in financial inclusion. Bangladesh, which shares many climate vulnerabilities with India, has implemented several innovative approaches to address the financial implications of green swan events. A comparable context is Bangladesh's 1998 floods, where the country's financial sector had to deal with smallholder farmers and microfinance borrowers losing livestock and crops, their primary loan security. Through Green Refinancing, Bangladesh Bank provides low-cost loans for solar energy and waste management, supporting 20 million people through its Solar Home System programme. Grameen Bank's experience with green swan events is pioneering. It transitioned its group-based lending and emergency savings accounts to buffer climate shocks. During floods, repayment flexibility and asset diversification (e.g., shifting from crops to poultry) helped sustain its high recovery rates. A key lesson was that post-disaster loan waivers eroded repayment discipline in Bangladesh. Instead, staggered repayments and climate-resilient livelihood training proved more effective. One of the aspects that the Indian financial sector must prioritize are climate stress tests, which mandate banks to simulate monsoon failures or renewable energy transitions. Green bonds for financial inclusion can channelise funds into affordable flood-resistant housing or drought-tolerant crops. Green swan events represent a profound challenge for India's financial system, particularly in terms of maintaining inclusive financial services for vulnerable populations in the face of increasing climate risks. For India's 800 million people living on under $6 daily, balancing growth with climate resilience isn't optional—it's survival. Bangladesh's mix of regulatory innovation and community-centric finance provides a blueprint, but scaling solutions demands urgent public-private collaboration. As India continues to develop its approach to green swan events, coordination between financial regulators, government agencies, financial institutions, and civil society will be essential to ensure that vulnerable populations are not left behind in the transition to a more climate-resilient financial system. In the age of green swans, preparedness is the only hedge against the unpredictable. This article is authored by Rajalaxmi Kamath, professor, Public Policy, IIM Bangalore.
